Melvilles Short Fiction, 1853-1856

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This study treats comprehensively the sixteen short works of fiction that Herman Melville wrote between 1853 and 1856, most of which were published in Harpers and Putnams magazines. Concentrating on the writers two basic motivations for writing asMoreThis study treats comprehensively the sixteen short works of fiction that Herman Melville wrote between 1853 and 1856, most of which were published in Harpers and Putnams magazines. Concentrating on the writers two basic motivations for writing as he did in these stories, Dillingham argues that Melville created a surface of almost inane congeniality in many of the works, an illusion of vapidity that camouflages a profundity often missed by his readers. He sought to to hide disturbing themes because the magazines for which he was writing would almost certainly have rejected his attempts to be more direct.Dillinghams method is not, however, confined to a reading of the texts. Melvilles stories contain so many allusions to the contemporary scene that they constitute in themselves a cultural study. An important contribution of Melvilles Short Fiction is its discussion of these allusions. Finally, Dillingham examines the relationship between the short fiction and Melvilles own life. Much of the writers frustration and struggle is concealed in these early works. Melvilles friendship with Hawthorne, for example, an intense and yet in some ways disappointing relationship for both men, is explored as an important influence on several of the stories. Melvilles Short Fiction, 1853-1856 by William B. Dillingham